


Pour Some Tea for Two

by Rikkapikasnikka



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Makes Puns, Bad Puns, Fluff and Humor, Garden Gnomes, Gen, Tea Parties, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, no identity reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:35:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28441776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikkapikasnikka/pseuds/Rikkapikasnikka
Summary: Marinette has spent quite a bit of time as a Guardian, and if there's one thing she's learned, the Kwamis don't get out enough.So Chat Noir, her steady partner, comes up with an idea to throw the Kwamis a party. It means a lot of planning, a lot of baking, and a lot of decorating. But in the end, holding a celebration for her tiny friends, and her one tall one, is worth it.Completely, totally, worth it.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 32
Kudos: 110





	Pour Some Tea for Two

**Author's Note:**

  * For [11JJ11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/11JJ11/gifts).



> Just a cute fluffy piece I wrote for the Beef Server's Secret Santa event! I hope you enjoy, JJ! You're an excellent writer and artist, a very sweet person, and endlessly creative! I wasn't sure what to write, but this has LadyNoir Fluff and Kwami fun and Bad Puns all in one space :D Please enjoy~!
> 
> Extra big thank you to my beta reader, [Noodles!! <3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missnoodles)

For the past week and a half, Marinette had been preparing for this day and little else.

She had her basket nearly ready to go: containers and cases, bags and boxes, pouches and pockets, all filled and neatly arranged inside a large, wicker picnic basket. She was just double-checking her list and folding over the cover, when Tikki zoomed up to her, vibrating with excitement.

“We’re  _ really _ doing this, Marinette?” Tikki whispered, her voice particularly bubbly tonight. “Really,  _ really?” _

“Of course. I said I would,” Marinette smiled. Carefully, she stood up and stretched, her shoulders straining. Her back hurt from all of the hard work she had been putting into this event, but she felt ready. All of her ducks were lined up in a row, her preparations had been thorough, and now, all she needed was for her partner to follow through.

Ladybug, after all, was bringing the refreshments, but she had trusted Chat Noir with the decorations.

After grabbing a second, albeit smaller, basket, Marinette made her way to the top of her loft. She set both baskets on top of her bed, and then peeked out of the sunroof trapdoor to her balcony, making sure the coast was clear.

“Ready to go, Tikki?” Marinette asked her Kwami, and Tikki did a little dance in mid-air, shaking her tail feathers and wiggling her arms. 

Marinette giggled as Tikki finished up her dance and exclaimed, “Yes!”

“Then Tikki,  _ Spots On!” _

* * *

Ladybug arrived at the agreed-upon location five minutes early, but Chat Noir was already done with his preparations and waiting. He waved at her, and she meant to wave back, but she couldn’t help pausing. Ladybug marvelled at the wonder before her as she ducked her head underneath a tree branch, her jaw dropping and her eyes widening.

A little further west than the Eiffel Tower, the Bois de Boulogne was a former royal hunting ground turned public park. With the wildness of the trees, the quiet trails, and over eight-hundred hectares of nature, Ladybug and Chat Noir had determined that this was the perfect place to hold their event. It had taken them a full day of scouring to find the perfect clearing: up on a hill, out of sight of the paths, surrounded by trees and bushes, all of them tall and thick with leaves. Springtime flowers had spotted the slopes, the ground was mostly clear of debris, and the crowns of the trees provided a perfect window of the night sky.

But right now the stars were outshone by string after string of glittering fairy lights. They seemed to shimmer in the air, woven around and between the branches of the trees. Whenever a breeze blew by, they winked in and out of sight, dancing and ethereal. Ladybug stared at them, completely mesmerised, as she brought her baskets to the centre of the glade.

“Watch your step, Milady!” 

Chat quickly intercepted her, but Ladybug stopped before she could knock anything over. She had been so caught up in the beauty of the lights in the trees and their brilliant, orange glow, that she hadn’t noticed Chat’s attempts at decorating the ground. She snorted, covered her mouth, and tried to hold back her giggles.

“Chat Noir,” she squeaked, barely able to stop the bubbling amusement in her chest. “What are  _ these?” _

Chat pouted and put his hands on his hips. It had only been a few days since they had seen each other, but he must’ve been yet another centimetre taller. His hair was still as wild as the woods, downy blond and fluffy.

“They’re gnomes, LB. Don’t insult them! They’re just doing their best.” Chat was still pouting as he straightened the one nearest him. Ladybug counted eight in total, all in various poses and colours and sizes. They were garden gnomes, with red hats and blue coats and brown boots, on mushrooms and with pipes and in playful poses,  _ most _ of them wearing pants. And all of them looked a little creepy.

“When I said you had to bring a guest,” she chuckled. “I didn’t mean them.”

Chat stuck his tongue out at her, and she laughed. Carefully, Ladybug sat her basket in the middle of a large, checkered blanket, and she sat down on a soft, purple pillow. Chat carefully sat across from her, and Ladybug swiftly counted seventeen place settings around the blanket.

She looked around her a little more, taking in the adornments beyond the garden gnomes: holiday-style cats, all lit up and playing with ornaments and garland; a snowman with a scarf, pretending to sing; and various flags, each with a cheerful, winter phrases (“joyeux Noël!” read one, and “bonne année, bonne santé!” read another). Some of the tree trunks were wrapped with lights, others embellished with snowflakes, and Ladybug realised how out-of-place everything seemed in the middle of March.

“Do you like it?” Chat asked, obviously nervous about her opinion. “I didn’t have much of a budget, but I got all of the Christmas stuff on the cheap. I figured our guests wouldn’t mind since, y’know, human holiday and all.”

Ladybug didn’t want to concede that he had a point, but…

“It looks very nice, Chat,” she agreed. “I especially like the fairy lights. You did a great job.”

And Ladybug smiled softly as he preened under her praise. Slowly, she opened the larger of the two baskets, and together, they started to take out its contents.

“I just wasn’t sure what to do, y’know,” Chat babbled as he opened up containers of cheese and boiled eggs. “I wanted you to like it but, like, this wasn’t  _ for _ you, it’s for them, so I want them to like it, too. But I haven’t spent as much time with them so--”

_ “Mon chaton,” _ Ladybug gently interrupted him as she laid out cases of sliced fruits and berries, evenly distributing them around the blanket. “They’re going to love it. They adore you.”

“They do?” The way he lifted his eyes, pleading and sweet, twisted her heart. He was opening the bags of cookies and laying them out on plates, just as she was opening up boxes of macarons to display. Ladybug briefly paused to lay a hand on top of his.

“They really, really do. They’re going to love this.”

He gave a small but confident smile back at her, and he nodded. “You’re right,” Chat whispered, one side of his mouth pulling into a smirk. “I am pretty awesome.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes and pushed his hand away as they both laughed and finished setting up. Pouches of nuts, pockets of neatly wrapped candies, a large thermos of hot tea, and several other, small treats came out of the picnic basket, until they had a feast unlike any other laid out around them. All of it was small, all of it was brightly coloured, and none of it was for them.

“I think we should go first,” Ladybug explained, taking out a red strip of cloth. Chat pulled a similarly black one from his pocket, and they both quickly inspected their domino masks, making sure they weren’t broken or frayed. The masks weren’t perfect replicas of their magical ones, but Marinette had made sure they were comfortable enough to wear and concealing enough to make their civilian faces unrecognisable. “Tikki and Plagg should be here to welcome everyone else.”

She could see Chat’s throat bob as he gulped. Detransforming in front of each other was still terrifying for both of them; it was a vulnerability that neither had been prepared for, but due to the uniqueness of their situation, a necessity.

“Alright,” Chat mumbled. “Ready when you are,” he added, a little louder.

Together, they closed their eyes.

“Three,” Ladybug spoke, her voice suddenly loud in the otherwise quiet park. “Two.”

“And one,” Chat said with her.

“Spots off.”   
“Claws in.”

Quickly and efficiently, they nimbly wrapped the makeshift masks around their heads. Marinette fumbled with the knot, but she felt Tikki pass her ear and help tie it correctly. Somewhere in front of her, Plagg loudly yawned.

“Are you ready?” Tikki called over to the boy-- Chat Noir still, yes, but also  _ someone else-- _ but all Marinette heard was a quiet curse.

“No,” he grumbled. “Plagg, can I get some help?”

“But there’s cheese,” came Plagg’s nasally voice, pitched into a high whine. “Do it yourself.” 

Marinette kept her eyes firmly shut as Tikki zipped away. “I’ll help, A-- Chat Noir!”

“Thanks, Tikki.”

She waited a few more seconds, but it wasn’t until that other boy said, “Okay, Milady, I’m all set,” did she open her eyes.

The first time she had seen Chat Noir untransformed, Marinette had been shocked. His unruly hair was neat, his clothes unrumpled, his eyes actually green. This time around, his hair wasn’t as prim and proper, but it was nowhere near as fluffy as Chat’s. He was in an indiscreet, ordinary hoodie, dark jeans, and brown shoes. Marinette had worn something similar: plain sweater, normal jeans, black sneakers.

Nothing identifiable. Nothing personal. Nothing that could give them away.

She also thought that he looked tired.

“Well,” she chirped, clapping her hands together. “Let’s do this!”

They scooted a little closer together before opening up the smaller basket. Marinette pulled out each, small box, handing every other one to her partner. He carefully lifted the lid of each one, activating jewel after jewel.

Together, they slipped on one miraculous after another. Necklaces and bracelets, clips and pins, even glasses and a nose ring and a circlet. Chat Noir even flipped his hair as he put on the sparkling tiara, and as much as Marinette tried to hold back her giggles, she couldn’t help but snort. He laughed as she clipped in the nose ring, she thought he looked goofy with the choker  _ and _ a collar, and he commented nicely on her new thumb ring.

“Look!” he exclaimed, holding up his own hand with his own, silver ring. “We match!”

Soon, between the two of them, they had seventeen eager, wide-eyed Kwamis watching them, waiting on them, weighing them.

She took a deep breath and tried to find her confidence in a rolling sea of anxiety. Chat reached out and laid a bare hand on her knee. She glanced down at it, somehow still surprised at the sight of smooth skin and clipped nails.

Marinette looked back up.

“Today,” she said, her voice ringing clearly in the glade. “Is the Spring Equinox. I know it doesn’t mean much to Kwamis, or to humans either nowadays, but I--  _ we-- _ thought a celebration could be held for you anyway.”

Tikki pressed her head and her paws into Marinette’s cheek, and Marinette reached up to lightly touch her back. “Thank you, Ladybug,” Tikki said softly.

“My Lady here prepared a wide variety of snacks for everyone,” Chat proudly proclaimed, and their audience ooo’d and awww’d appropriately. “And I did all of the decorating!” And he swept his hand out to show off the trees, the gnomes, and the various holiday statues. The Kwamis let out whoops and cheers, encouraging him to grin wildly as Marinette sat back and watched.

“Thank you, Ladybug!” Trixx trilled, and several other Kwamis copied the phrase. “Thank you, Chat Noir!”

“You’re free to dig in,” Marinette explained, and just like that, the tiny beings dispersed.

They dove into the food like children at a Christmas feast. Orikko plundered fruits and nuts while Mullo went for cheese and peanut butter cookies. Kaalki preferred carrots and raisins, while Wayzz sought out macarons and shortbread. Sass swallowed a boiled egg whole, and Barkk delicately nibbled on a biscuit. Stompp and Ziggy were sharing a basket of berries, and Xuppu and Daizzi were inspecting the garden gnomes.

Slowly, Marinette stood up. She wobbled for a moment, but Chat quickly got to his own feet and steadied her.

“Careful,” he mumbled, but she could see that he was fighting to stay steady too.

“I know,” she whispered back.

“You have to take it easy, Ladybug,” Tikki reminded her, lingering by Marinette’s shoulder. “I know you--”

“Tikki, I’ll be okay.” Marinette stood a little straighter, her shoulders and jaw set. “You should join your friends. Have some fun too.”

Tikki looked tied between joining her friends and watching over her holder, but Marinette noticed when her Kwami and Chat locked eyes, exchanged some sort of non-verbal conversation, and nodded at each other. Tikki flew away, grabbing a pink macaron before sitting next to Plagg.

“What did you say to her?” Marinette said with a smirk at Chat, turning away from the picnic to start walking around the clearing.

“Nothing.” Chat folded his hands behind his head, leaning back on his palms as he smirked back. “Just agreed to look after you, is all.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, unwilling to admit that she was touched all the same. She stopped beside one of the gnomes. It was holding an instrument of some kind, playing with closed eyes and smiling, and wore a green hat.

“That’s Gnombert.”

She stiffened.

“What?” Marinette said quietly, quickly rounding on her partner.

“Gnombert. That’s his name.” Chat was watching her, his face pulled into as serious of an expression as he could muster. “He’s married to Edgnome over there, and they have two children, Gnomane and Gnomette.”

Marinette stared at him, trying to gauge if she should laugh, cry, or punch him.

“You  _ named _ them?” she settled for instead. Chat raised an eyebrow at her.

“Of course. They’re  _ gnomes, _ not junk. They deserve names!” He pointed happily at another statue, which was pushing a wheelbarrow. “That one’s Edgnome. The two on the other side there,” and Chat pointed out two smaller gnomes with red hats playing catch. “Are their children.”

“Which one is that?” Marinette asked, pointing out a fifth one, her voice bordering on hysterical.

“Oh, that’s Gnomen.”

“And that one?” She pointed to a sixth.

“Bernard,” he answered smoothly, barely breaking a sweat. Marinette whirled on him again, as Longg and Roaar passed them by, tumbling around in the air in play.

“Bernard,” she repeated, her voice heavy with sarcasm. “Seriously?”

“What!” Chat cried, holding up his hands in surrender. His facade was starting to crumble, however, and he was trying very hard not to laugh. “That’s a totally normal, acceptable, gnome name! Let him  _ gnome _ around in peace!”

“What about that one!” Marinette pointed to one in the corner, furthest away from the bunch. It was stuck in a rather obscene pose, with its pants around its ankles.

Chat wrinkled his nose. “Oh,” he growled. “Oh, that’s Gnomer McGnomes Gnome. We don’t talk about him. Just leave him be.”

“I--” She stopped to take a deep breath, trying not to laugh, trying not to cry. He had that mischievous look in his eye, the twinkle that said  _ everything _ and nothing all at once, and Marinette had to admit; she liked to see him happy. “If I had  _ gnome _ it was gonna be this kind of party, I would’ve stayed at home.”

Chat froze.

Marinette waited.

Pollen buzzed past them.

“Milady,” Chat said softly, his grin widening into that sly, cat-like smile that she knew all too well. “Don’t you mean, stayed at  _ gnome?” _

“No!” Marinette couldn’t hold it in any longer, and she turned to him and gave him a slight push. Chat wobbled, but he didn’t fall, and together, they broke into rambunctious laughter and giggles. “No, I don’t! I don’t wanna live in a gnome!”

“I wouldn’t have  _ gnome _ you to be the type, Buginette!” Chat called back, but Marinette playfully pushed him again.

“You can’t steal my pun! I did it first!”

“Gnome, mine was different!”

“That doesn’t even make  _ sense!” _

Their playful banter dissolved into physical play, gently pushing at each other and slowly chasing their partner around the clearing, avoiding cat and gnome statues alike. They stopped to say hello and exchange conversation with every Kwami as they passed.

“Thank you for the cookies!” cheered Xuppu, loud and joyous.

Stompp held up blueberries for them to inspect. “They look just like Duusu’s feathers!”

“Plagg ate all of the cheese,” Mullo pouted, and Chat rolled his eyes.

“I wish Nooroo was here,” was Barkk’s quiet confession, and Marinette frowned.

Everything felt a little duller, after that. 

Yet the celebration went on. Marinette and Chat picked out stars in the small bit of sky, poured one another hot tea, shared cookies and a pouch of sweet popcorn, and tried to outwit each other with clever wordplay. They walked in circles along the perimeter, tried to climb some of the smaller trees, and occasionally inspected the bushes. They talked about everything and anything, and yet nothing.

They were constantly careful to avoid topics like home, like school, like family. Friends were given codenames, stories were vague, and at some point, they were back on the blanket, sitting side-by-side. They leaned against each other as they watched Fluff, who was being cheered on by several other Kwamis as she tried to swallow a cookie whole.

“Thank you for helping me with this,” Marinette said, her cheek pressed into Chat’s boney shoulder. “I wanted to do something nice for them. They’re always so cooped up inside that box.”

“Of course.” Chat’s eyes flickered from the Kwamis to her and back again. “Thank you for letting me.”

She blinked. “Letting you?”

“You’re the guardian, LB. You never had to include me.”

For a long moment, she was quiet. The high pitched chatter of tiny gods surrounded them, but Marinette couldn’t focus on any of it. Instead, her thoughts were racing, whirling, and she pulled herself away from his shoulder to sit up straight.

“Chat,” she called, and he looked at her. Marinette reached out and took his hand. “I wanted to include you. I don’t like keeping secrets from you. I want you to feel needed, because I need you.”

“I do,” he responded, his voice soft. “And I need you, too.” He leaned into her, and she into him, and they watched several Kwamis gather together to sing and dance as they shared some warmth. Despite it being March, the nighttime was still chilly, and Marinette shivered as they huddled together. Carefully, as if giving her plenty of time to move away if she wanted, Chat wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer, supplying warmth.

Out of the gathering Kwamis, Tikki and Plagg pulled away and settled beside their holders, yawning.

“I think we should leave soon, Mar-- Ladybug,” Tikki said with a yawn, settling on Marinette’s shoulder. Plagg curled up in the hood of Chat’s hoodie. “Both of you are pushing your limits.”

“We’re not transformed,” Marinette pointed out, but she was starting to feel drowsy against Chat’s chest, and Chat hummed in agreement. “We’ll be okay a little longer.”

“Sugarcube’s right,” Plagg grumbled. Chat grimaced. “Even just wearing this many miraculous for a few hours can be dangerous. Plus it’s cold out.”

Both heroes remained quiet for about a minute, before Chat Noir ultimately sighed and nudged Marinette. “Let’s pack everything up, Milady. We can clear out the decorations tomorrow.”

“Mmm…” Marinette groaned, not wanting to move, but she eventually relented.

As if moving through sludge, they pulled apart and started packing the food away. The Kwamis stopped their singing to offer their assistance, picking up all the empty boxes and containers, bags and cases, pouches and wrappers and tiny cups. It took barely any time at all, but by the end of it, Marinette just wanted to crawl into a warm bed and sleep.

Or crawl back into Chat’s arms. That was an acceptable alternative right now.

“C’mon, LB,” Chat encouraged her. “Let’s say goodbye.”

“We humbly thank you once again, Ladybug and Chat Noir.” Sass floated in front of them and offered a bow. “We greatly appreciate all the hard work you put into hosting this event for us.”

“We were honoured,” Chat replied, copying Sass’ bow with a nod of his head. The snake watched him curiously, before turning back and joining the other Kwamis. In turn, each one thanked Ladybug and Chat Noir before the heroes took off the respective jewel and packed it away.

When all of the extra miraculous were back inside the small basket, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. She already felt more awake and alert, and she smiled at Tikki as she sat on top of the basket. “You ready to go, Tikki?” Marinette asked with a grin.

Tikki hesitated, and Marinette followed her line of sight to Plagg, still tucked into the folds of Chat’s hood. But the black cat was peeking over the edge, his green eyes blinking. Chat frowned. 

“Bye, Sugarcube,” Plagg mumbled. Tikki smiled sadly.

“It’s not for forever, silly,” she chided.

Marinette shifted, uncomfortable. Chat glanced at her.

“I know,” Plagg lamented, rolling over. “But oh well. Until next time.”

“Until next time.”

Marinette felt like her throat was thick with syrup when she finally said, “Tikki, Spots On.”

* * *

Together, Chat Noir and Ladybug transformed back into their superheroes selves and picked up the rest of the clearing. They turned off the lights, pushed the statues and other decorations into a pile, and folded the blankets and stacked the pillows. Because it was still dark, and only one of them had night vision, they chose to call it quits for the evening and head back home.

They started out the same way, heading east. They had a long distance to travel back to the heart of Paris, and while Ladybug had tried her hardest to  _ not _ learn where Chat Noir lived, it was obvious he lived close to her in some capacity.

At Chat’s request, they paused atop a building about a kilometre from home. He sat down on the edge, his legs dangling over the side, and Ladybug cautiously sat next to him while setting down the baskets.

“Is… Is everything okay,  _ mon chaton?” _ she inquired quietly, laying a hand on his forearm. Chat’s frown deepened.

“Yes and no,” he replied, looking at her. Ladybug searched his face, trying to read the emotions she could see there. His hair was wild and fluffy again. “I had a lot of fun tonight, with you and the Kwamis. A lot more fun than I’ve had in a long time. I loved it.” He looked down at her hand, and he reached and took it into his own, encapsulating it. “I just… Whenever a party ends, or I have to go home, I realise…”

He fell silent, and Ladybug waited patiently. She wasn’t rewarded, however.

“I shouldn’t say anything,” Chat muttered instead. “It might be too revealing.”

“What do you realise, Chat?” Ladybug asked, and his green eyes glanced up into hers. She thought she could see tears swimming in them, but the contours of his mask and the dark of the night made it difficult to tell.

“I realise how silent and empty my own home is.”

His confession was like a dandelion seed in the wind, gently carried but not knowing where it would land. Soft, fragile, and quiet, but capable of so much. She could nurture this seed, water it, let him grow into the man she knew he was capable of becoming…

But the memory of a white cat held her back.

“I cannot give you a better home, Chat Noir,” she replied, and his eyes closed as he sighed. She reached up and touched his face, cradling his cheek. Chat turned into her palm and nuzzled it. “But I can make you a promise.”

His eyes snapped open. Now, Chat was watching her.

“What kind of promise?” he said, his voice so small Ladybug almost couldn’t hear it in the night.

“Next time we do this,” she started, licking her lips afterwards. Suddenly, her mouth felt way too dry. “And… And all the Kwamis get to join us, even Nooroo and Duusu…”

Chat wasn’t breathing. He was just watching her, his eyes flickering across her face. Ladybug felt like her chest was tight and empty.

“We can do this, but without the masks.”

Air rushed into both of them; Ladybug could feel the expanding of her lungs, and she could see the rise of Chat’s chest. There were definitely tears in his eyes now.

“I said no more secrets, right?” Ladybug reiterated, and Chat laughed.

“You did, Milady. You are a clever one.” He finally let go of her hand, and Ladybug had no idea how hard he had been hanging onto her until her fingers were suddenly free. “Alright, I can agree to that. If Nooroo and Duusu join us, we can… We can just  _ be  _ us.”

She smiled and turned to look out at the city before them, the layout of Paris’ streets and windows mapped out in sparkling lights. “Yep,” she chirped, thinking it looked just like that glade and his fairy lights stuck in the trees. “And that day will be here before you gnome it.”

And Chat’s cackling laughter and that promise for the future was all that she needed for now.


End file.
